Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when the Government plans to publish its plans for (a) parliamentary and (b) independent scrutiny of the UK’s aid budget.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
(a) With the formation of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office, the House of Commons may wish to reconfigure the select committee structure. We will reflect carefully on the recommendations of the International Development Committee and the Liaison Committee before bringing forward motions on committee structures for the House to agree later in the year.
b) This Government is committed to transparency and robust scrutiny of Official Development Assistance expenditure. On 29 August, the Foreign Secretary announced that the Independent Commission for Aid Impact will continue its vital role scrutinising UK aid.
Asked by: Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what management and oversight precautions, if any, they are putting in place to (1) increase accountability of aid spending; and (2) prevent non-attributable day-to-day spending being re-badged as aid.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The Government is committed to ensuring that every pound spent on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) achieves maximum value for money for taxpayers based on the same high standards of accountability and effectiveness as all areas of public expenditure. Individual departments are responsible under public spending rules for monitoring all public money including their UK aid programming and ensuring that they deliver value for money. Robust parliamentary and independent scrutiny of the aid budget will continue – the form that Parliamentary scrutiny takes is for Parliament to decide. UK ODA continues to be spent in accordance with international rules on what constitutes aid as set by the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2020 to Question 64925 on Overseas Aid, what evidence will be used to inform future decisions on department's ODA spending allocation; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all future ODA spending (a) maintain high standards of programme delivery consistent with his Department's best practice and (b) is subject to parliamentary scrutiny.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
We take into account a full range of information with departments when making adjustments to spending plans and budgets. Departmental Accounting Officers are responsible for assessing and assuring the impact and value for money of their ODA programmes on an ongoing basis in line with Managing Public Money. ODA spending will be presented to Parliament to vote upon through the normal Supply Estimates process and will be audited by the NAO when departments produce their annual report and accounts, as per normal process.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will continue to publish an independent evaluation of the extent to which aid provided by the UK represents value for money in relation to the purposes for which that aid is provided.
Answered by James Duddridge
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will be accountable to Parliament for how it spends UK aid. We remain committed to full transparency in our aid spending and there will continue to be parliamentary and independent scrutiny of the aid budget. This merger is not about changing our high standards for overseas spending. We will continue to look at how our aid budget can be spent most effectively in our national interest, including through the Integrated Review - which will inform the priorities of the new department.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, if he will bring forward amendments to Standing Orders to create a Development Aid Oversight Committee similar to the Environmental Audit Committee to ensure Parliamentary oversight of UK aid spending.
Answered by Jacob Rees-Mogg
The Government’s view is that select committees in the House of Commons should generally mirror Government departments, though this is ultimately a matter for the House. Precise changes will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, whether he has received instructions from Cabinet Colleagues to bring forward amendments to Standing Orders to create a Development Aid Oversight Committee similar to the Environmental Audit Committee to ensure Parliamentary oversight of UK aid spending.
Answered by Jacob Rees-Mogg
The Government’s view is that select committees in the House of Commons should generally mirror Government departments, though this is ultimately a matter for the House. Precise changes will be announced in due course.